beyond rules
In a wooden barn off a gravel road, an old man lives alone. Deep in the woods and hours from the closest city.
His stories shift between topics in an often-nonlinear path. Choose wisely with the questions you ask – the answers can come back pointed. And don’t take offense if your name isn’t remembered.
Seems desolate? It isn’t.
Inside the wooden exterior, the barn holds more books and letters than your eyes can grasp in one look. The walls are filled with group photos, beautiful landscapes and cherished keepsakes – signs of a life fulfilled. The conversations twist and turn due to a dialogue deep with context and thought.
What others perceive as lonesome is another man’s crescendo. Choosing to live in the mountains rather than the main streets is an individual’s choice. The choices this man made may be different than yours but following them is what made his life cherish. In his way. A way that has made an impact on the world no outside visitor would initially grasp.
My visits to this barn have been seldom. Not enough to earn name recognition. But enough to learn our own rules.
What rules are we talking about, though? There’s kind of a ton.
Some rules are meant to protect. Provide a seemingly idealistic pathway – crafting a likelihood for one to succeed. That last word needing constant re-definition. Think course requirements, best practices and guidelines for decorum.
Others are meant to restrict. Prevent seemingly undesirable behaviors from negatively impacting our surroundings. Of which – the morality and righteousness of some should often be questioned. Think eligibility minimums, speed limits and civil restrictions.
Some rules are mere suggestions. Others are conjoined with reciprocal actions. All create a variety of effectiveness…. meh. What’s the point?
Sure, these pre-mentioned rules will influence your life. But these rules aren’t the ones to dictate your journey.
When the sun goes down and the room clears out, these aren’t the rules we’re judging ourselves against.
We are the masters of our own fate. Captains of our own soul. Our rules – the ones we decide on our own to follow and the ones that dictate our direction – those are the rules which matter most.
“When the sun goes down and the room clears out, these aren’t the rules we’re judging ourselves against.
We are the masters of our own fate. Captains of our own sole”
In between conversations of running trails, dish recipes and building design – themes started have become clear with the man in the woods. These aren’t necessarily his rules but an attempt at understanding how a person could follow their own path to their own journey.
Ask Questions. Beyond just lending an ear or hearing someone out. Giving people time and diving into the deep end. Aiming to comprehend how something is and the why behind its actions. An assumption can get you far but won’t provide the context behind the perception.
Knowing What’s Right and Wrong. Not what the law states. Sure – at times these things will be the same. But in the times where what’s morally good or what will truly make the best difference is on the other side of the rules’ standing - know what matters. Know what makes the real difference we need. Stay on that side.
Get after the Work. why wait. Give it a try and learn from the process. Every brilliant project started as a thought and a little bit of effort. If the match doesn’t light, let it sit. But if a flame starts - add tinder and air.
—
Rules are meant to solely be on speed signs and in legal books. The real ones are the ones we craft our lives around.
